For the first time in it’s 35-year history, the Classic will be held in the month of February. Perfect if you’re a fan of the unknown. But for some of the world’s elite bass anglers, knowing what lies ahead is part of winning this $500,000 battle.

Stone, of Linden, N.C., knows a little something about winning in Florida. Two years ago, at the season opening BASS Tour event on the Harris Chain of Lakes, Stone made a few critical adjustments during the final two days of competition to capture his second-career tournament title.

“I’ve had some success in Florida,” Stone replied. “I’ve fished a lot of tournaments on Lake Okeechobee and I think I’ve made money every time I’ve fished it. I won a tournament on the Harris Chain of Lakes (Leesburg), so I’m pretty confident when fishing in Florida. As for Lake Toho, I’ve had my struggles in the past. But, it still fishes a lot like the other Florida lakes. But when I’ve struggled, I’ve made it a lot harder than it really is.

“The fish in Florida do different things during the day, and at times, I’ve really found myself understanding what the fish were doing,” Stone continued. “I knew what they were doing in the morning and I knew where they would move to in the afternoon – and I knew how they were going to react to certain weather changes. You have to adapt several times a day to these (Florida) fish – no matter what the conditions. They constantly move and change their positions on cover more than any fish I’ve ever been around.”

Despite frustrations during the most recent practice, Stone isn’t discouraged about his chances. As with any Classic strategy, winning is the only thing that matters.

“I really didn’t have a great practice and I make no bones about it,” said Stone, who finished 9th at the 2004 Classic held in Charlotte, N.C. “However. I have been banking on a warm-weather tournament, so if we have a big front run through here, I’m going to start all over. But if it’s mild and warm, I have a couple ideas where they are headed.”

“There’s no other place you can go in this country where the fish are as affected by the weather than they are in Florida,” said Stone, runner-up in last year’s dramatic chase for CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year honors. “If it’s pretty and mild – and it will stay warm – our catches will be phenomenal. If we have a front come through, it can really get tough out there. And if we get a really severe cold front, the fish will literally go days without biting.

“You have to understand the stage the fish are in you’re fishing for,” Stone continued. “Identify the group if you find one– are they pre-spawn or are they post-spawn and are they coming or leaving? If you can understand that and then find a group of fish that is actually coming to you –that are replenishing themselves – you’ll have a real chance to win this thing.”

Strategizing for any tournament may come from past experience and what you have learned in your most recent practice. But winning this year’s Classic may have more in common with a popular prime time reality show, than any pure angling vision.

“You have to be able to survive that second day,” Stone added. “You have to make that top-25 cut. This tournament, more so than anywhere else we go, an angler can come from 25th place and win this thing. You can be on an awesome group of fish, catching 25 pounds a day, but a little something changes from the day before and those fish are gone overnight. That person catching the big weight can absolutely zero. Now, that other person that’s been struggling along, catching them here and there, can stagger right into three 10 pounders - that’s very doable on Lake Toho.”

“It looks like we’re going to have a big change in the weather by the end of the first day,” Reese said. “As always, you can’t be sure until you get closer, but I think its shaping up to be a difficult tournament if a big front moves in here on Friday night.

“I think you’ll see a few people catch as much as 25 to 30 pounds of fish on that first day,” Reese continued. “But as the weekend moves on, it’s going to get tougher and tougher to catch them. The person that wins this tournament will have best adapted to how the fish are reacting to the weather changes.”

Reese feels like many of the traditional methods will be popular this weekend.

“I think every one is going to be looking for bed fish,” Reese said. “But if it does become overcast – like it’s predicted to do – it will be very difficult to sight fish. At that point, I think you’ll see some flipping, a little top water action and everyone just trying to hone in on what patterns are shaping up.”

“I was coming into this with thought of winning it,” said Swindle, the 2004 CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “Last year’s finish really hurt, so I’m even more determined and fueled to win this thing. This tournament perfectly fits my style because I’m going to throw it all out on the table this weekend.

“I think I’m going to fish pretty shallow in this tournament,” Swindle continued. “Maybe a little shallower then everyone else. I’m going to be very aggressive and cover as much water as I can. You can do that a lot easier when shallow.”

Swindle predicted what he thinks will happen.

“A lot of people feel we might have some higher weights, but I think it will only take 45 to 49 pounds to win it,” Swindle added. “It looks like we’re going to have a minor cooling front move in here at the end of the week, but I don’t think it will affect the bite too severely.

“The key to winning will be movement,” Swindle said. “I really think the angler that is able to read the waters and roam around a lot will have the upper hand. The most aggressive anglers will have an advantage.”